Sorry I missed it - just replied

If I've got this one pair I noticed X and Y. Over the past month X and Y have played in 27 tournaments and have averaged 67.6%. X has played without Y 8 times and has averaged 49.2% in those games. I thought BBO and ACBL had something in place that autoflagged pairs like this. Guess not.

Well it has been 14+ years since this initial post. Myrmidon and I have finally met IRL and played a session together. It might have been a slow as hell late session pairs game that 100% should have been fast pairs. The field might have been a joke (1C-1S-2D "oh was that forcing" "no new minor forcing doesn't apply here). But was a blast to finally play a session with my man Myrm. Also had a walking tour of Providence.

how much and in what style do you yolo in this spot, w/r bbo 4 fast boards mp's

-
42
KJ
AKQJT7532

partner dealing:

1h-p-2c-2s
2n-4s-?

w/r bbo 4 fast boards mp's calls for pretty much full YOLO when available...

so yeah...7C probably my bid more often than not just because it is 4 fast boards. If wrong, shrug. But seems like best shot to win bbo 4 fast boards.

I was contemplating between 6C and 6N and went for the latter given partner's 2N bid should imply a spade stopper, thinking that they can take their ace of they have it but we should be good for 12 otherwise as I can't see that partner can possibly be opening without the two red aces... they did but righty underled from ace-fifth and the other guy never got to cash his Ah so meh, making 7 doubled

4NT goes wrong because your partner is an imbecile?

I mean, I want to play 6 for sure, but if I hear AAA I will manage to bid 7NT and claim before the lead

Same logic, but I'm just bidding 7N

Been a long time since I have an old school 2p2 bridge session.

Last night Chocaholic and I agreed to a midnight speedball. Choc and I don't have a vigorous regular card. So board 1 started with a **** it, I'm going to smash a slam. Win 10 on that, somehow end up 1/56 with 41.56 IMPs.

Play another speedball, somehow end up with a 70% for a 1/26 win. Choc notes hey there is plzbealevel playing, I know him from 2p2. Pbal sends me a note saying well done. I send pbal a note saying hey send choc giving him a well done. Next thing I know I'm in a game with pbal, Choc, and pbals partner (seemed sane until it came up he was a Fantunes Truther). I tell choc hey it is late, feel free to quit anytime...two and a half hours later the game finally broke up at 5 AM my time. Had a good 3-4 more smash slams that all worked.

Also this Xmas session came up while I was blathering about in chat. RIP fmk

Well this weekend has been an all time hot streak for me. Bottom 2 are playing with Chocoholic. Next two are playing with two of my regular partners. Top 1 is playing with robots.

(In between that there is a meh game with me and Chocoholic, and a 72% game at the club). If only I run that hot when it really mattered.

(I mean I thought my play during this streak was fine, but shouldn't have come close to these results)

crushing, wdp

Ya he is not sane in any way shape or form but he did hang in there until late so

ggs

I am way late, but that was such a fun session Chuck/plzbealevel. I told Chuck this on BBO, but this thread is such a good resource, and a lot of fun to read (although I really wish I had been playing bridge back when it got started).

Also, some hands (all matchpoints). First one I think is the most interesting, and has led to some lively discussion among my partner/our friends.

1. r/r, second seat

AK87
7
AT63
J764

(P) 1D (2H) 3C (3H) ?

2. w/w, first seat

AK5
96
AK9876
A9

1D or 2NT? And, if 1D, what do you bid after partner bids 1H?

3. w/r, second seat

6542
J5
AQ4
J763

87
A964
975
AKT8

Auction is 1C-1S-1NT, opps are silent. Lead is 3D (4th best). You duck the diamond, east wins the T and returns a spade to west's AKQ. You carelessly discard a diamond on the third spade. West then leads the 6D, you play the Q from dummy and it holds (east plays the 2). Now what?

4. w/w, fourth seat

AT52
QT7
92
T862

Auction goes (p) p (1NT) p (3NT). What do you lead?

5. w/w, second seat

K65
K54
QJT6
643

Passed around to partner who opens 1C, then it goes 1C (X) 1NT (2S) P (P). What's your call?

6. w/r, fourth seat

J986
AKQJ
8
9874

(P) 1C (1D) X. At this point, west huddles for a while, and partner all of a sudden says "oh sorry I didn't see your pass card," and bids 2C. West says he hasn't made a call yet, but tells partner to just take back the 2C bid and continue on. (Yes we should have called the director here, but it was late and we were running behind). West then bids 4C, explained as a splinter, and it goes pass, 4D to you. Your call?

1. 4C.
You have a FANTASTIC hand for partner so you cannot pass. 4C also has the advantage that there can be no ambiguity about which suit you want to play and it leaves all the required space for cuebids.

2. 1D followed by 2NT.
This is an horrific hand for natural systems that have no ways to describe exactly this. A 2NT opener is an overbid IMO

3. Discarding a diamond from hand is a blunder imo. They aren't going to find the switch to hearts. Now, I cash Ad and play a club to the T.

4. Low club. No idea really. I think leads Vs NT have been revolutionised by AI, but I don't know exactly how.

5. Dbl
This is pairs. Gotta go for it. Partner knows I do not have 4 spades. I'm showing a fairly maximum 1NT bid. Since I didn't bid a suit, I'm probably exactly 3343 or 3334 and he should be able to figure out what to do.

6. Pass
If the TD had been called, I would have been forced to pass the entire auction, that is what I do now.

On 1, is 4C forcing? We were not sure, so were debating between 5C and 4H. X and 3S were also discussed. We were hoping that X was something like "bid 3NT with a heart stopper, otherwise either leave it in for penalties or pull to 4C/4D as appropriate," but I'm coming around to the idea that it just doesn't make sense to play in a strain other than clubs with this hand.

On 3, discarding the diamond was 100% a blunder. I just didn't foresee at the time that I would need the transportation in diamonds. I only realized my mistake once I was back on the board and couldn't be sure the opps would lead diamonds again for me.

On 4, I led a low spade, which turned out poorly. I guess leading fourth from an ace is generally frowned upon?

4C has to be forcing in hand 1 or you are going to make your slam bidding awkward.

If you bid 4minor to establish a fit that wasn't found before, partner cannot pass it.

Why not 4H to establish clubs? Well, it skips 4D which might be a crucial cuebid you wish to hear at safe level. Also you want to keep 4H as a cuebid that says something about hearts.

Compare with:

1D-(1H)-2C-(2H)-3C-(3H)-4C

This is NF, because you bid 1 higher in a fit that was already known in an obvious competitive auction.

In spades you already have a trick, so there is less to develop. Your club suit has zero tricks and leading it might develop it. Also I think it will give away a trick less often.

On 1; 3C should be Game Forcing. That solves later dilemmas like the one suggested..

3C GF makes the bidding easy, but is way too restrictive. You have to be able to bid 3C with good 6-card suit and 10 HCP. It should be F1R.

With all that bidding space that has been taken away by our nasty opponents, we just cannot allow ourselves the option to play 4C as NF. The exceptional case where 4C is the only makeable contract, we are going to note 5C-1 and we'll be fine with that. This loss will be offset by all the other times we make more accurate game/slam decisions.

I prefer a 3C rebid.

If we are going to play a suit, clubs is very likely better even when partner has diamonds. 74s rarely play well in a 4-4 fit.

3C limits your hand and is NF.

Your hand is low on HCP for a reverse. Why does this matter? Partner might just get us to high when they have a lot of HCP but no fit.

Sure it is nice to be able to bid 3C with 10/6. However, it is GF in standard.

You are replying to a 14 year old post?

Bob is much older than 14